ugh so basically when i first started T i never thought id get zits. but now at almost 6 months im getting alot of 'em and its really upsetting me. does any body have any home remedies or cheap stuff that worked to help the zits go away. i never had zits growin up not this much at least. maybe 1 or 2 here n there

Apparently witch hazel works, or hydrogen peroxide. Both of those things are pretty cheap to buy.

I just know that if you put a dab of toothpaste on a zit for 15 minutes a day, it helps the zit go away pretty quickly.    Someone else I know puts rubbing alcohol on the zit (but not on the rest of her skin) and swears it gets rid of the zit pretty quickly.

If you want something good that lasts about three months, is AcneFree.  It costs $19.95 at Wal-Mart, and is well worth the initial investment.

Frustrating isn't it??? Never had breakouts like this pre T and it seems like no matter what you try they never cease to pop up at a rapid pace! You could try using cetaphil and once I started balding my head and got the occasional razor burn/breakout on there I used, in addition to cetaphil, St.Ives apricot scrub (->-bleeped-<- smells bomb too) and it seemed to clear up any irritations I have within a day or two. Good luck man!

I love witch hazel.  A thing of it lasts forever, and I don't break out at all when I keep up with it (washing face with it morning and night).

Yes, yuck.  I know what you mean. 

I always had very nice skin before T and now 6 months in I'm at war with it.  I have been at the dermatologist more in the past 2 months then I ever had been before in my life.  I would recommend making an appointment if you insurance covers it. 

He gave me an antibiotic actually and it really worked well.  Acne is literally an infection in your skin and there are medicine you ingest that will help with it.  He also prescribed a Sulphur wash and prescription strength spot treatment which also helped a lot. 

At the end of the day though some acne is inevitable.  We are going through male puberty and zits are part of the package.  heh pun

Witch Hazel =)
Witch Hazel was and is still used very often for various skin problems. It works so well because it has hamamelitannins, which is a unique type of tannin, which is known to be astringent. I Would think witch hazel oil would work fine, but the most concentrated amounts of the tannin is found in the bark.

Quote from: Squirrel698 on November 11, 2010, 10:29:24 AM
At the end of the day though some acne is inevitable.  We are going through male puberty and zits are part of the package.  heh pun

You get a double groan.  One for having to deal with puberty again and the other for the bad pun.

Disolve a couple of asprin in a little water to make a paste and leave it on the infected areas at night before bed. Helps.

Get a bottle of isopropyl alcohol (I use 91%), crush some aspirin, add it to the alcohol and mix. Use it to clean your face and body (wherever you're getting the zits) in the morning and night. You will not believe how much oil, dirt and junk collects on your skin- even after washing with soap! I also use AcneFree Terminator cream for spot treatment. Witch Hazel has never helped with my zits but it does help with ingrown hairs on my neck.

This is worrying... going through first puberty I barely had any acne, and now just along my hairline... I thought that would lower my chances of getting it on T. Apparently not... damn.

Anyway, exfoliation can help prevent it. Origins makes great products, though they're kind of expensive. It essentially cleans out your pores before the dirt and oil that collects in them can turn into acne... I don't know if it's specific to a certain kind, but my mom swears by it. Acne cleaning pads with alcohol always zapped mine pretty fast, you can get them at any drugstore.

I had horrible acne before. Nothing I did ever made it better - I could follow an acne treatment regimen religiously and get dry red irritated breakouts, I could not do anything at all and shower every other day only using water on my face and get oily bumpy breakouts, or I could do something in between and get a mix of the two types in patches all over my face. But my skin was never, ever clear.

Since starting T, my skin's been oilier and less sensitive, so acne products are actually working. My skin is (by my standards) beautifully clear right now, just some blackheads on my nose and a few minor zits.

I've found that if you don't have dry sensitive skin, benzoyl peroxide gel is fantastic for the antibacterial side of acne treatment - just put it on once every other day to start, on skin that's a little bit oily (never put it on freshly washed skin, and don't get your skin wet for a few hours after you apply it, it burns like crazy. And don't get it in your eye area - wash your hands after applying it and don't touch your face for a while.)

For the exfoliation/skin conditioning side, I have to plug Neutrogena Acne Stress Control cream face wash. My skin's still sensitive by most standards and flushes very easily, especially when I rub it, but this one particular product is truly fantastic - it actually leaves my skin less red and irritated after washing. I use it twice a day, but you could use it more if you wanted. I'm less wowed by the "scrub" version and the bodywash in the same line, but the face cleansing pads are pretty nice in between washes (though they leave my skin really shiny).

And make sure to use a moisturizer after you wash. Overdrying your skin without moisturizing can trigger even more oil overproduction. I use a moisturizer with salicylic acid (Clean and Clear brand) which is extremely light. Make sure to apply the moisturizer while your skin is still damp so it locks in the moisture.

I've basically been trying not to let my skin get too dry or too oily. Every few hours in between washing it I've been wiping my face with salicylic acid pads or face cleansing towelettes. Unscented baby wipes would work too, just anything that removes the oil without depositing anything irritating or overdrying your skin. Make sure to wash properly after doing anything that makes you break a sweat though. Even hand soap in a public restroom is better than letting sweat and oil sit on your skin for hours.

One of my greatest fears.........*fear*

I can only pray for the best....

A question though, how soon did you guys start to find zits once you started T?

A basic anti biotic like doxycycline works wonders. You could also try washing with Nizoral shampoo as it blocks DHT on the skin